Being constantly confused is frightening. I now understand what my grandma (with dementia) is going through and I really feel for her. Today I woke up in a strange place and had no idea how I got there. At first I thought I’d got really drunk and found my way here. Then as bits started to come back I realised it wasn’t the drink that hit me but the road. A guy called Winston found me wandering around a dirt road near Placencia, Belize. He stopped and apparently I asked him where I was. He pointed to the spot on my map and I then said, “No. What country am I in?” At that point he realised something was wrong and he brought me to Lisa and John’s beach resort (www.lostreefresort.com) in Riversdale, Belize. It appears that I either hit a rock or mud, came off my bike and hit my head pretty hard. Thank God for bike helmets and body armour. More importantly, thank God for people like Winston, John, Lisa, Bill, the doctors that treated me, Maria, Rosie and everyone else at the Lost Reef Resort, Belize. These people have taken me in, had me seen by world class doctors and are doing everything they can to make my stay here as enjoyable and comfortable as possible. I can’t tell you anything about the accident because I’m still pretty confused about a lot of things and my short term memory is shot. I’m told it will eventually return but it’s a matter of time. The good news is that I banged myself up very close to paradise, so the convalescence is an enjoyable experience.
I’ll fill you in soon on how these people are looking after me and what they are doing to help my body and mind recover.
In the meantime I need to reiterate how important proper motorcycle equipment is.
- If I hadn’t been wearing motorcycle boots I could have lost my right ankle.
- If I hadn’t been wearing knee and shin guards I could ave lost my right kneecap or perhaps leg below the knee.
- If I hadn’t been wearing a proper (certified) helmet I would not be writing this now.
It doesn’t matter how hot it is or inconvenient the motorbike kit is to wear. It’s definitely worth it. A few pictures of the bike. (No idea if I took the one of my bike on the road!)
And a final note to my mother. Sorry mum. That was probably the worst 60th birthday present a son could give to his mother. I’ll try to be more careful in the future!
Find out more about Ollie’s trip at his Greasy Sprocket website.
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Tags: accident, beach resort, belize, boots, dirt road, doctors, helmet, lost reef resort, motorcycle, motorcycle boots, motorcycle equipment, placencia, shin guards
Oliver,
I rode down that same road to Placencia last fall with an overloaded bike and cruising tires! What a nightmare. I almost wiped out three times as I rode between 10 and 15 miles per hour. It took me an hour and a half to travel the 20 miles from the highway to the village of Placencia. My wife was meeting me there, otherwise I would have never left the tarmac.
Sorry to hear about your spill and am impressed by your courage to get back on the bike.
Cheers,
Peter B
[...] one in about head injury or concussion. Not thinking much about the consequences I mentioned my motorbike accident in Belize last year, due to the head trauma I received. Those that read the blog may remember that the [...]
[...] one in about head injury or concussion. Not thinking much about the consequences I mentioned my motorbike accident in Belize last year, due to the head trauma I received. Those that read the blog may remember that the [...]